BY ED HUNGNESS
Local Columnist
August 10, 2008 12:00 am The other day, I drove to the village to run a few errands. It's sort of a ritual for me that developed since my retirement. I guess I could go in every two or three days, but we always like to get a paper and retrieve the mail from the post office box. Often, there is something needed from the grocery store or the hardware. If the truth were known, I just enjoy driving in there to see what's going on and who I'll bump into. (Not with my car, of course!) On a recent visit to the post office, I parked next to a pickup truck. As I got out of my Jeep, I noticed that the vehicle was running and its owner wasn't in it. He, like me, had come to pick up his mail. As often happens, my friend had met an acquaintance and was having a little chat about something. Upon leaving the post office, I couldn't help but notice that his truck was still parked there with the engine running. I was thinking about this little incident and speculating as to why he had left his pickup running while he went into the post office. If you did that in Chicago, your truck would likely be gone when you came back out. But that's another story. I wondered if possibly he had trouble starting his truck and was afraid to turn it off. Could it be that he liked to identify with the truckers who drive the big rigs and never turn them off, even when they stop for lunch or dinner? It's still a mystery waiting to be solved. One thing I do know is that with gas prices in excess of four dollars per gallon, I turn off my gas-guzzler at every opportunity. There's not too much we can do about the high gas prices. Only the oil companies and our elected officials have any control over that. So far, all we have heard is a bunch of election-year jabber about how we should do this or that to bring down the gas prices. It all appears to be too much talk and too little action. Doesn't it remind you a little of the health-care dilemma? The debates and proposed solutions always seem to come up when somebody wants to get voted into office. After the election, the subject quietly disappears from the headlines and we are back to business as usual. The ridiculously high cost of fuel affects everyone and the entire economy. The people I feel most sorry for are young working families. Often, they drive 30 or 40 miles to work each day, knowing that the pay for the first two or three hours of their workday will be spent just to get them there and back home from their job. As I see it, one solution is to buy less gas. The less you use, the less you spend. Granted, we can only cut back on the miles we drive by so much, but we can improve our driving habits. Slowing down from 75 to 55 miles per hour improves gas mileage dramatically. Go lightly on the gas pedal when pulling away from the stoplight; you'll still get there. Combine your errands and do most of them in one trip if possible. Start slowing down before you get to the stop sign. Avoid using the drive-up windows. Instead, park the car and walk inside. You'll get the bonus of burning a few extra calories while burning less gas. If everyone practiced these little tips, we would consume less gas, create more availability and drive those prices down. Oh, I almost forgot. If you run into the post office to get mail or buy stamps, turn off your engine. Ed Hungness and his wife owned their cottage on Fife Lake for six years before moving there after his retirement in 2005. His writing draws from life experiences and a love for the outdoors and northern Michigan. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com or care of the Record-Eagle.
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Ed Hungness